Sabres Hire Steve Smith as Assistant Coach

[Chainshot]

Let me get the link, just got the text.

Click to read more...

 

[26CornerBlitz]

 

[Baccus]

His own goal with the Oilers still is one of the most painful things I ever witnessed as a kid watching hockey.

 

[Chainshot]

Seems like a very solid addition given his experience and some of the success of guys under his tutelage in Carolina.

 

[valet]

Good get

 

[Sabre Dance]

Faulk next?

 

[SabresFan26]

Good get, that's a ton of assistants. Just saw a few days ago that he resigned his position with Carolina.

 

[Bones Malone]

His own goal with the Oilers still is one of the most painful things I ever witnessed as a kid watching hockey.

 

[sincerity0]

In the Sabres tweet they noted he was in charge of Defense/PK. Will that be Steve Smith’s role with the Sabres?

 

[Zip15]

He just resigned this week from his job with Carolina. Now we know why.

I'm fine with it, especially if he's replacing Hajt on the bench. Hajt seemed to be in over his head last season. I've thought Carolina had one of the best PK systems in the league for a few years now. They're relentless.

Seems like a very solid addition given his experience and some of the success of guys under his tutelage in Carolina.

Replace Carolina with Nashville, and, well, you know....

 

[Chainshot]

He just resigned yesterday in Carolina. Now we know why.

I'm fine with it, especially if he's replacing Hajt on the bench. Hajt seemed to be in over his head last season.



Replace Carolina with Nashville, and, well, you know....

I would say there is a difference between the arrival and performance of Pesce and Slavin as mid-rounders and the relatively established level of guys like Josi, Ellis, Weber/Subban. Ekholm to Pesce/Slavin might be a comparable between Smith and Housley

And I agree about Hajt, I'm glad they got more experience back there with someone who has had some measure of success at the NHL level guiding their most important new player into the league.

 

[jc17]

How much of the credit for low shots against can actually be given to the defense coach?

 

[Zip15]

How much of the credit for low shots against can actually be given to the defense coach?

I think it was kind of silly for the team to include that in the tweet, but whatever. I just like the Canes' PK system. Very aggressive. They were 4th, 6th, and 6th in Smith's first three years there before falling to 23rd this year - though how much of that was Darling and Ward being dreadful is unknown.

 

[Sabre Dance]

Every coach needs talent. Sabres have Ristolainen, Dahlin, and Guhle that can be as good as any top 3 in Nashville and Carolina.

Fans should be excited about this.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

How much of the credit for low shots against can actually be given to the defense coach?

It's hard to say. Bill Peters ran a system that had the defensemen aggressively pinching and playing very tight gaps in the neutral zone. It led to very strong possession, but also had little room for error when it broke down. That, IMO, was the biggest reason for the shot suppression numbers for Carolina. That said, Smith had to be able to coach his guys in a way to execute the plan and he seemed to do that. Canes also had an excellent PK for a couple years under him.

Last year was a disappointment on the defensive front. The PK wasn't very good and many of the defensemen seemed to really underperform. They weren't as good on ice as you would expect them to be on paper. Having Darling in net was a factor. And it was reported that the team tuned out Peters by the end of the season so it's hard to say what contribution Smith had to that, but it was disappointing none-the-less.

Was honestly surprised that he didn't quit/get fired right away after Peters was gone and Brindy was named head coach. He was brought in under Francis/Peters and to once his "peer" get the head coaching job, I thought he'd be gone. Maybe he was looking and waiting it out until he had something lined up? (speculating).

I think he's a good fit for the Sabres though and you will probably be pretty happy with him.

 

[Montag DP]

I hope the first defense drills in training camp will focus on how to break out of your own zone without scoring on yourself.

 

[Sabre the Win]

Hopefully he can show Housley where up is because I've got the sense Housley losses his self direction whenever behind a hockey bench or in a locker room.

"He was head coach for a high school hockey team"

^
The voice of so many pro Housley come to the Sabres and save us HF posters last off season.

I still laugh at the "defense whisperer" nickname.

 

[SabresFan26]

Smith was a former teammate of Housley. They probably have a good relationship.

 

[Sabre Dance]

Just thinking how hard it must be to be named Steve Smith living in North Carolina. Everyone expects someone else when you make a reservation.

 

[Sabre the Win]

Just thinking how hard it must be to be named Steve Smith living in North Carolina. Everyone expects someone else when you make a reservation.

He probably has no problem disappointing, he will fit in great on this bench.

 

[Dingo44]

Hopefully he can show Housley where up is because I've got the sense Housley losses his self direction whenever behind a hockey bench or in a locker room.

"He was head coach for a high school hockey team"

^
The voice of so many pro Housley come to the Sabres and save us HF posters last off season.

I still laugh at the "defense whisperer" nickname.

Um, getting back to Steve Smith, instead of taking any opportunity to bash Housley, I'd probably prefer Smith behind the bench to Hajt, based on results from last season. But the coaches game plan together so at least having his voice in the room and on the ice in practices can only help.

 

[Sabre Dance]

He probably has no problem disappointing, he will fit in great on this bench.

O'Reilly, is that you?

 

[Sabre the Win]

O'Reilly, is that you?

Winning would cure all ailments in that locker room. O'Reilly told us all the problem when he said something along the lines of losing has crept into the locker room, it's crept into a lot of the players and into him to the point that it's ok to lose.

That's on Housley, hopefully Smith can steer the ship to greener pastures.

Put a winning record on the ice and watch locker room and HF Boards moods mostly vanish.

We went from best PP to worse PP in one season under Housleys regime. If Smith can bring this PP back to that of Bob Woods quality than at least someone can do something right behind the bench

 

[Jim Bob]

Winning would cure all ailments in that locker room. O'Reilly told us all the problem when he said something along the lines of losing has crept into the locker room, it's crept into a lot of the players and into him to the point that it's ok to lose.

That's on Housley, hopefully Smith can steer the ship to greener pastures.

Put a winning record on the ice and watch locker room and HF Boards moods mostly vanish.

We went from best PP to worse PP in one season under Housleys regime. If Smith can bring this PP back to that of Bob Woods quality than at least someone can do something right behind the bench

He ran the PK in Carolina.

Does he have a history of running a PP?

On paper, this looks like a good hire.

 

[Royal Thunder]

Wait and see. I thought Davis Payne was a home run hire at the time, same as Terry Murray before him.